Dorothy Henry, 87, (centre) sits next to granddaughter Danielle and son Rudy on the porch of her Pauquachin home. Henry uses a walker, but that doesn’t stop her from getting to the Saanich Fair every summer. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)

Peninsula woman rides ferris wheel at Saanich Fair for over 30 years

Henry has made it a point to ride the ferris wheel at the Saanich Fair every single year for more than three decades, and the 151st fair this weekend was no exception.

The tiny Pauquachin woman moves slowly, using a walker to move around her patio, with her small dog Bella at her feet. She might only be a few years from 90, but her sons lovingly refer to her as their ‘teenage mom.’

“She’s loved wherever she goes. Everyone thinks she’s the cutest little old lady around. She’s such a positive role model and I don’t think she realizes,” said Henry’s son Herman. “She’s the big leader of our family.”

Flanked by her children and dozens of grandchildren, Henry makes her way to the Saanich Fair where she’s helped onto the ferris wheel for the ride she looks forward to every year. She’s been going since her 10 kids were little, when the busy fair became a family tradition.

“I’ll be going until I die, I guess,” she said with a chuckle.

Henry’s son Rudy says his mom draws a crowd at the fair every year. “She’s walking in with her walker and people say ‘she’s not going on, is she?’ and then you can hear all the little kids taking pictures.”